BACKGROUND & AIMS:
IL28B polymorphisms, jaundice, decline in HCV-RNA, IP-10, and gender have been proposed to be indicative of spontaneous clearance of acute hepatitis C virus infection. The aim of this study was to define a score enabling the discrimination of patients with spontaneous clearance of HCV from those with development of viral persistence and need for early antiviral treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:
The scores enable a reliable discrimination between AHC-patients with high potential for spontaneous clearance from candidates for early therapeutic intervention due to marginal chance of spontaneous resolution.